Homemade Nutrition

Aanya Chand

“I grew up eating Lunchables because they were easy to pack,” junior Gretchen Gille said. “They were unhealthy though, so I decided to make homemade versions.”

For students like Gille that don’t have a lot of time to prepare their lunches, Lunchables have always been a convenient way to bring food. However, they’re not always the healthiest option for those seeking to bring food different in nutritional content to the school food. 

“I think this is a part of my identity as an American,” Gille said. “It’s something I grew up with, and I adapted it as I grew up.”

Instead of the processed foods, Gille packs yogurt, grapes, crackers, a main meal, and sometimes a kind of a sweet treat for herself. By doing this, she is able to balance multiple food groups and also eat what she enjoys. Most of the people at her lunch table either get school food or buy snacks from the vending machine, so she feels like her lunch is more thought out and personalized. 

“I like being able to make my own food,” Gille said. “It feels nostalgic and I get to enjoy my food while it remains healthy as well.”

Delicious Simplicity

Daphne Huang

In the cafeteria, everyone is excited to finally eat after being stuck in classrooms all day. Some people head over to the lunch line while others open up the meals they brought from home. 

“I got rice and tofu,” freshman Navi Gupta said. His parents are from India, and he said that the dish was made with rice and soybeans. 

A Family Tradition

Adrianna DiGuglielmo

Sophomore Catherine Benzon eats a traditional lunch. She explains the impact of her food to her culture and her family.

“I have rice and chicken for lunch and this is culturally related to me because rice is a very common Asian dish,” Benzon said. 

Her lunch is a commonly eaten dish in Asia. In many other cultures there are different traditional foods. Families often come together to make and share these foods. 

“This is a tradition in my family because it brings us all together to share a meal, which usually consists of rice,” Benzon said.

Other cultures can say the same about their dishes and how they unite families for a meal. Foods from other cultures are often popular to others outside of their cultures. 

“I would recommend this food to someone who is not a part of my culture because it is very good,” Benzon said. 

A Unique Lunchtime Twist

Hana Su

“Today I’m eating Indian food: rice and okra,” junior Mayukha Gollapalli said. “Usually my mom makes my lunch but I buy lunch around three times a week” 

How students spend their lunch period also varies from person to person and can depend on grade level, and academics.

“I usually go 10 minutes early sometimes to practice my instrument,” Gollapalli said. “I only really started doing that this year.”

Lunchtime means different things for different people.

“I remember freshman year when I had lunch with a big group of friends,” Gollapalli said. “We all played Cards Against Humanity with each other and that was really fun.”